The one who drew everyone's gaze when Rei said he wanted to borrow a guard was Givnan, standing at Precious's side.
Givnan wondered why him. At first, he considered whether it might be some sort of mistaken identity.
After all, he had no prior dealings with Rei whatsoever.
They had met only once—and that had been in the Slum District.
Nor had it been a peaceful conversation. It would be more accurate to say they had been threatened by Rei.
With only that degree of history between them, no matter how charitably he looked at it, Givnan could not consider his relationship with Rei a good one.
"Givnan, you say? He is my bodyguard, so I can't simply lend him out just because you ask."
Before Givnan could say anything, Precious replied to Rei. But behind those words lay intense wariness.
It was fair to say he had half-expected why Rei and his companions would show up at this exact time—which was precisely why his response carried such weight.
The series of actions Precious had ordered Givnan to carry out. The other side knew about them... no, they might already have evidence in hand.
In truth, that was by no means wrong.
For Rei, taking Givnan to the Guard Station and having Keena—who was being sheltered there in a solitary cell—identify him would constitute definitive proof.
To Precious, Givnan was a highly trustworthy bodyguard. He was reasonably skilled, and above all, he was someone Precious could be certain would never betray him.
Because of that, he could not hand Givnan over to Rei here.
"Is that so? But if you don't... your life ends. Even knowing that, you still refuse?"
Rei drew Death Scythe from his Misty Ring and swung it in a wide arc.
It was such a sharp strike that it seemed as though he were cleaving through the air itself—no, through space itself.
And the killing intent radiating from Rei's body was on par with what he had displayed in the Slum District. No—it was something even greater.
It was killing intent so intense that Givnan and every other bodyguard stationed in the room could not even form the thought of doing anything about it.
It made them feel as though the killing intent itself was exerting a physical force, stopping their bodies from moving.
The words Rei had spoken—that his life would end. That it was no lie or exaggeration, but a sincere statement and the absolute truth. Everyone present understood that completely.
Vihera was unfazed—or rather, her eyes were even moist with desire—but Byune was gripping Vihera's thin clothing, somehow preventing her from collapsing to the floor.
That killing intent did not remain confined to the room. Everyone staying at the inn who possessed a certain level of skill could sense it.
Those people wondered what on earth had happened, yet none could bring themselves to move, fearing that if they did, they too might be caught in the aftermath. That, however, was something Rei himself was unaware of.
"So, what will it be? If you refuse, I'll simply take him by force."
Rei directed the question at Precious, but the man addressed could not move. He was being overwhelmed by the Grim Reaper standing before him, scythe in hand.
"Hm, then I'll ask you. You were the one who originally brought the job to him, after all. What will it be? Do you want to be taken by force? In that case, there's no question that significant damage would come to this room and everyone in it."
The addressed Givnan, still unable to move, considered what he should do.
Resisting here would, in the sense of not yielding to Rei, not be incorrect. But if he did such a thing, not only he himself but his comrades—and even Precious—would suffer harm.
If that happened, before he could do anything about it, he would have failed in his role as Precious's bodyguard.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Givnan summoned every ounce of willpower and opened his mouth.
"I'll... go."
Though he said only that, Givnan felt as though he had exhausted every last drop of willpower and stamina in his body.
Huh.
But watching Givnan's state, Rei was impressed. He never expected the man could open his mouth under those conditions.
After all, he had unleashed killing intent so dense that even a veteran adventurer would likely be unable to move.
The reason Givnan had still been able to speak was undoubtedly because he believed Precious would be harmed otherwise.
"I see. Then I'll stop with the rough treatment."
With those words, he reined in his killing intent and stored Death Scythe in his Misty Ring.
"Gweh... hahh... hahh..."
With the killing intent finally withdrawn, Givnan braced both hands against the floor and steadied his breathing.
He was not the only one in such a state. The other bodyguards—and Precious as well—were the same.
No, if anything, the shock Precious received was likely greater for his lack of regular training. He had slumped forward onto his desk, desperately trying to suppress his ragged breathing.
Glancing briefly at Precious, Rei turned his gaze back to Givnan and spoke.
"Right then. Since we've come to a friendly understanding, let's head out together."
At the word "friendly," Vihera shot Rei a look of exasperation.
That was likely because the killing intent that had been emanating from Rei had vanished. Her eyes were no longer moist with desire.
That Rei failed to notice Vihera's state was one thing, but the reason the others—Precious and his men—could not notice it, or noticed but could not remark on it, was probably because Rei's killing intent had only just subsided and they were in no state for such things.
Taking advantage of the situation, Rei turned his gaze to Givnan.
"Let's go."
"...Y-yeah."
His legs trembled like those of a newborn fawn, but Givnan somehow managed a step.
Rei nodded in satisfaction and, together with Vihera and Byune, grabbed Givnan's arm and left the room, half-dragging him along.
"Wa—"
Precious tried to say something behind them, but Rei deliberately ignored him and quickened his pace.
He understood full well what Precious wanted to say.
Having quickly deduced the reason for Rei's visit, letting Givnan go was not an option for Precious. The possibility that it would lead back to him was extremely high.
That was why Precious had been trying to stop Rei. But right now, his legs had given out completely from the killing intent Rei had slammed into him, and he could not move.
Leaving Precious behind in that state, Rei and his group descended the stairs.
There were employees by the counter with pale faces, unable to move, and bodyguards who had collapsed onto the floor. Rei and his party passed right by them and exited the inn.
Outside, a few adventurers were looking at the building with somewhat puzzled expressions—probably because they had barely felt the killing intent—but that was all.
"Gururu!"
Set, upon seeing Rei, approached with a purr.
The passersby who had been affectionately petting Set let him go with disappointed looks, though none pressed the matter.
"Business is done. Let's head to the Guard Station."
"Guard... Station...?"
Givnan could barely form words, but he did not miss what Rei had said. As he struggled to grasp the situation, what came from Rei's mouth was "Guard Station."
Wondering why he was being taken there, Givnan gradually began to consider: had the Keena situation been exposed?
But he should have left no evidence linking him to Keena, and with Keena dead, he had no idea how they had traced it back to him.
After all, he had never even given his name or affiliation.
At this point, Givnan naturally assumed Keena was already dead. But given that Keena was an assassin, that judgment was by no means wrong. No, under normal circumstances, one could even say it was correct.
What proved fatal for Givnan was the fact that even after all this, he still assumed Rei fell within ordinary bounds.
"Come on, walk properly. If I have to drag you, it'll hurt."
Rei told him that while pulling him by the arm, but to Givnan it was all he could do not to scream, "Don't ask the impossible!"
The reason he was in this state was Rei's doing to begin with, so being told to walk properly by the very same Rei was only natural cause for resentment.
Though, of course, in his current state there was no way Givnan could complain to Rei's face.
Even so, seeing Rei already having withdrawn his killing intent and walking along as though nothing bothered him, the tension gradually—truly only a little at a time, but surely—began to ease, and Givnan became able to move his body.
Not that he could even think of trying to run from Rei.
For one thing, Rei was moving while gripping Givnan's arm. Even if he tried to escape in this situation, it would undoubtedly fail.
Much less when he was certain that fleeing now would work to Precious's disadvantage. There was absolutely no way he could carry out such an attempt.
In the end, he had no choice but to quietly follow along with Rei and the others.
"Hey, Set. Cute as always. Here, eat this."
"Kyaa! Set-chan, come play with me!"
"Hm? Hey, who's the guy being dragged along by Rei? He's not a member of the Crimson Lotus Wings, is he?"
"Yeah, never seen that face before. Maybe it has something to do with a request?"
"Lady Vihera..."
As they walked down the street, various people called out to Set, or talked among themselves watching Rei's group.
It was because they had gotten far enough from the inn. By now, there was no one around who had felt the killing intent Rei released.
They were simply looking at Rei's group and chatting as usual.
Perhaps being touched by that everyday atmosphere helped. The tension gradually drained from Givnan's body as well.
"So, about taking me to the Guard Station. Mind if I ask what the reason is?"
Once the tension left him, it was only natural to be concerned about his current situation, so he asked the Rei who was pulling him along.
He probably also wanted to gather even a little information, to be of use to Precious.
Whether Rei had read Givnan's thoughts or simply found it too troublesome to answer, he let the question go in one ear and out the other.
And yet, he never once loosened the grip that ensured Givnan absolutely could not escape.
"Hey, come on. Could you at least explain the situation a little? Otherwise I don't even know what I'm supposed to do."
"What you should do, I'll explain once we're at the Guard Station. Until then, keep quiet. Don't even think about running. If you try something like that, it'll bring harm to Precious too."
"I ain't running. More like, you're the one gripping my arm, so even if I wanted to run, I couldn't."
The moment he reflexively fired those words back at Rei, Givnan remembered that the person gripping his arm was a monster in defiance of his appearance, and caught his breath.
Fortunately, Rei showed no sign of being angered by something of that level.
"I see. Then just come along quietly with us. In the end, it'll be for Precious's benefit too."
"For... Precious's...?"
At Givnan's suspicious gaze, Rei gave a nod.
Atoning for the crimes committed would undoubtedly be for Precious's benefit. Though before that, he would need to receive the punishment Rei had to give him.
Assaulting Asimov, stealing the Sleipnir boots, and trying to pin it on the Azoth Firm. Rei had by no means forgotten about that matter.
Given that, he definitely needed to exact proper retribution.
"That's right. If you do anything suspicious, it will only work to Precious's disadvantage. Just keep that in mind."
Understanding that Givnan was devoted to Precious, Rei drove that point home.
Those words served as the most effective warning for Givnan, restraining him from any reckless action.
Having been told that anything arousing Rei's suspicion would spell trouble for Precious, Givnan had no choice but to behave.
And so, Rei's group continued walking... until eventually, the Guard Station came into view ahead of them.